George Abel
George
Abel (1913-____)
George Abel was born on October 13, 1913 in Paradise Valley, Nevada to Gertie Abel and Antolin "Bill" Guerrica. George was an only child. He was born and raised on the Abel-Kertner ranch in Paradise Valley. Becoming a young man and being self motivated he left the ranch as a teenager to follow his dreams which was to work with horses. For the love he had for horses he rounded up wild mustangs in Oregon's Steen Mountain area. This was before the "Wild Horse Annie Law" became into effect. He was known to a few as George "Wild Horse" Abel. George knew the Owyhee Desert very well, since he spent so much time in the desert, working with horses and cattle. He became well known for training horses. He was employed by a number of well-known ranches such as:
Gibbart
Brothers on the Owyhee Desert and Quinn River
Quarter Circle A Ranch in Paradise Valley
Archie Myers in McDermitt
Regina McCormick at the Sullivan Ranch in McDermitt
Frank McCulloch at the Lucky-Seven Ranch in McDermitt
He became self-employed at the Hearn Ranch as a cattle rancher. He was the president of the Stockmen's Association for many years. At which time he and his wife Hazel, as a buckaroo cook, and other young cowboys, would spend a week or two out on the desert branding cattle for the association members. Some of the familiar buckaroo campsites were: Stoney Corral, Star Valley, Tent Creek, and Quinn River Cabin. Being the president for the association he worked very closely with the BLM and the Nevada Division of Forestry. His kind heart led him into helping young men acquire cattle loans. He was also a Tribal Council member for the Paiute-Shoshone Tribe and served a few terms, one of his accomplishments was to establish HUD homes for tribal members. This also created temporary jobs for the local community.
George was a well-known rodeo stock contractor, and many of his horses were used in major High School Rodeos and other rodeos, such as:
Reno
Rodeo, Reno, Nevada
Twin State Stampede, McDermitt, Nevada
Fallon All Indian Rodeo, Fallon, Nevada
Snake River Stampede, Nampa, Idaho
Labor Day Rodeo, Winnemucca, Nevada
Winnemucca High School- Rodeo, Winnemucca, Nevada
Elko High School Rodeo, Elko, Nevada
Battle Mountain High School Rodeo, Battle Mountain, Nevada
He also provided stock for numerous Jackpot rodeos as a fundraiser to help the area high school rodeo clubs.
He was well known for one of his saddle bronc horses that had never been ridden, that he named "White Cloud." George had a close personal friend Cotton Rosser. George introduced Cotton into becoming a stock contractor. Cotton spent much of his time in McDermitt with George. Cotton used some of George's top broncs and used them at the National Finals Rodeo. The horse he named "Smith and Velvet" made the most trips to the National Finals.
George was known for his kindness and thoughtfulness for people and animals. He had many friends and they were always welcomed to his home. He was always helping the youth. Teaching his sons and their friends how to ride broncs and at the same time respect for themselves and the animals. He encouraged the young and old to participate in rodeos, paying their fee and providing transportation if they were short on funds. He also established a boxing club for his sons and all others that were interested providing them with the necessities such as managers, sponsors, and transportation to the boxing matches.
George and Hazel had eight children: Esther, Gordon, Glen Corey, Sharon, Nancy, Harold and Sandra. He had two stepsons, Nathan and Leroy and two foster children.
George Abel was inducted into the Buckaroo Hall of Fame in September 2005.
